Lao leaders welcome visiting defence minister of Vietnam

Vientiane (VNA) – Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang paid courtesy calls to General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and the country’s Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh in Vientiane on September 13.

Giang affirmed to the Lao leaders that Vietnam always treasures and exerts efforts to maintain and bring into play its special and faithful relations with Laos, which is vital to each country’s political regime.

He thanked the Party, Government, people, and defence ministry of Laos for creating favourable conditions for the search for and repatriation of remains of Vietnam’s volunteer soldiers and experts falling down in Laos.

The minister also expressed his hope that the Lao Party, Government, and National Assembly will continue providing mechanism and policy support for Vietnamese enterprises, including military firms, to operate in Laos in such fields as telecommunications, information technology, digital transformation, and construction.

The two Lao leaders said that Giang’s selection of Laos as the first country to visit as Defence Minister of Vietnam reflected the particularly close bonds between the two countries and the two armies.

Earlier the same day, Giang and his Lao counterpart Chansamone Chanyalath held talks, during which they discussed international and regional issues of common concern, reviewed cooperation outcomes in the recent past, and suggested cooperation orientations for the time ahead.

They expressed support for intensifying ties among the armies of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, including maintaining the annual meeting of the three countries' defence ministers and supporting each other at multilateral events hosted by each of them. They agreed to study joint activities in different forms among the countries' armies./.